Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

In local mythology, foxes are often associated with transformation and bewitching, and the term "fox spirit" refers to this.

However, the enormous fox in front of us doesn't look alluring at all.

Its crimson fur blazed like a raging fire, and its fierce snout opened slightly, revealing gleaming white fangs.

As the saying goes, a white fox is auspicious, while a red fox is inauspicious... A fox with a completely blood-red body like this would have been considered one of the most ferocious beasts in ancient times.

That is my evil side.

Katsura Mai, who also fell here, patted the dust off her clothes.

Now that things have come to this, she's not going to pretend anymore.

Together, the fox and she are the masters of this other world, the true form of the anomaly.

It is named "The Moon Fox with a Two-Sided Heart of Good and Evil".

The so-called Heart Moon Fox refers to the fifth star of the Twenty-Eight Mansions in Eastern mythology, which is also the main star of Scorpio, Antares.

It is associated with bad luck in love and romance, and is adept at stirring up trouble.

However, after the original myth was abnormally distorted and reflected, the final product was a fox spirit whose own heart was split in two.

"Seriously, if you guys keep acting along with me, that guy won't wake up."

After introducing herself, Katsura Mai put her hands on her hips and complained, "If I get eaten, I'm not responsible!"

How strong can a detective from outside be?

She was pessimistic about their future.

As if to prove her words, the red fox, representing the evil side, stood up from its squatting position and stepped out of a huge crater with a slight force of its limbs!

The crimson foxfire transformed into blooming red lotuses that spread all around, and the intense heat scorched the air until it became transparent and distorted.

The heat, constricted to its limit, exploded with a roar, and the enormous fox attacked like a cannonball!

Katsura Mai quickly grabbed Natsumi Hoshino and ran towards the edge of the stage.

She had already figured it out; of the two, Bai Ze was the one who was actually the thug.

Hopefully, he has some skill, and won't be instantly defeated by the evil side, who possesses most of her power—

Then, I heard a violent, howling wind.

Looking back, she was greeted by a sight that exceeded her expectations.

The ferocious beast that stirred up storms and flames is now still in the palm of humankind.

The furrows dug out stretched all the way to Bai Ze, then stopped abruptly as if they had hit a cliff.

A silvery-white metallic fluid clung to his body, forming an armor that insulated him from the heat.

With his palm pressed against the red fox's brow, the immense momentum was forcefully stopped and reversed, causing its hind legs to sink deeply into the ground.

"roar!"

As soon as the unwilling beast roared, the silvery-white threads extending from its palm wrapped around the fox's snout, forcibly closing its wide-open mouth.

Bai Ze tightened his five fingers and twisted his waist as if winding a toy.

The next second, the enormous fox, the size of a truck, began to spin around him like a windmill!

The turbulent air currents resembled tornadoes, with specks of foxfire mixed in, forming a storm of flames.

In the hazy eye of the storm, Red Fox was suddenly thrown out, crashing to the ground like a shooting star following the trajectory it had just taken!

A deep, abyss-like crack opened up from the point of impact, and before it could spread outwards, several golden rays of light tore through the atmosphere.

Like a laser beam sweeping across, the golden arrow pierced through the red fox's head without hindrance, then shot out from its tail, breaking through the metal barrier diagonally above and creating a wide passage. A column of sunlight fell through it, like a spotlight shining on the center of a stage.

It turned out to be a road connecting the underground and the surface.

After the smoke cleared, Bai Ze put away the golden bow in his hand.

Are all detectives' assistants monsters?

Katsura Mai lay face down to avoid the aftershocks and shouted in shock to Natsumi Hoshiori, who was also lying on the side.

Is this even human?

The red fox, as her ferocious side, already took away most of her fighting ability.

He was killed in just two or three rounds!

Even if she were to become one with the evil side, it seems she still wouldn't be able to defeat these outsiders...

Even more terrifying, Bai Ze, who had just discovered that the otherworldly situation had not been resolved, was looking over with an unfriendly expression.

"You should be able to completely control this other world now, right? Release us."

"No! My evil side isn't completely dead yet!"

Katsura Mai was startled and raised her hands in a French military salute to guard against him slashing at her, while giving a warning.

"It's the 'Twenty-Eight Mansions Auspicious and Inauspicious Rhymes'!"

At the same time, Xia Xingzhi also picked up her detective duties and looked up to explain.

After hearing Katsura Mai's explanation, she already knew the nature of the anomaly.

"The malevolent star Antares is not without its dangers; construction on it will bring harm to men and women, and burial on it is forbidden. Within three years, plague and death will occur—Antares is an ominous star symbolizing death, and burial is forbidden there. In other words, those born under its influence are not likely to die!"

It is an anomaly, just like the Dark One, possessing immortality.

Bai Ze looked at the fox corpse being devoured by thorns and poisonous insects, and saw flames erupting from its body, engulfing the entire corpse.

If they could be resurrected, it would just be a matter of killing a few more times.

But after the flames devoured the fox corpse, they did not fight him again.

Instead, it suddenly disintegrated into illusory points of light, appearing beside Xia Xingzhi with teleportation speed, and then entered her body.

"……Oops."

Katsura Mai sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Has your detective's love life been a bit rough lately?"

"What does this have to do with the current situation?"

Bai Ze approached them, holding the Blade of Judgment in his left hand and a bow in his right, ready for action.

The incident happened so suddenly that he didn't have time to stop it, but it didn't seem to cause Xia Xingzhi much harm.

"The mythological prototype I'm reflecting is the fox god who is in charge of romantic entanglements and enjoys stirring up conflicts between couples."

Katsura Mai moved away step by step from Natsumi Hoshiori, whose gaze had been lowered.

"The essence of the constellation Antares belongs to fire, and this fire is no ordinary fire—"

She took off running in the opposite direction from the two of them.

"What the world calls solitary jealousy!"

A flame ignited by jealousy;

Just like in folk tales, fox spirits are adept at seizing the vulnerabilities in people's hearts to take over and eventually possess them.

The detective is now starting to emit illusory sparks from her body.

Unlike the violent fire that Bai Ze had faced before, this fire did not exhibit any unusual high temperature, nor did it emit any heat at all.

But when she finally raised her face, what was revealed was a pair of dull, empty eyes, as if they had lost their focus, with tiny sparks dancing at the bottom of the pupils.

Then, the stage seemed to change in response to the girl's will.

Amidst the whirring of gears, a throne-like platform rose from the ground, lifting Xia Xingzhi into the air.

Aside from the parts damaged by Bai Ze's arrow, the spotlights on the ceiling all turned and focused on her.

Does this guy actually harbor feelings of jealousy, like the possibility of being manipulated by a powerful fox?

To whom?

Bai Ze looked up at the girl on the circular platform, puzzled.

She spread her legs apart, placed her left hand on her shoulder, and extended her right hand towards him from afar.

It was as if they were inviting him to come on stage with them.

"My assistant—"